Pregnancy Round 2 {31 & 32 Weeks}

31 weeks and I finally feel pregnant.  I'm huge.  I seriously can't imagine getting bigger.  So, I'm a little freaked out about that.  Thankfully, I've only gained about 20lbs. which is a huge relief {I gained over 50 with Sonja}.  I've also updated my wardrobe to include 2 brand new maternity pants.  And just when I ordered them an offer on my midwife's community facebook page showed up with an offer for 2 free used pairs as well.  So I grabbed those too!  Now, I've got almost a weeks worth of elastic banded pants!

This week, I woke up with my leg "asleep", which freaked me out.  I mean, normally, I wouldn't care, but I'm trying to avoid edema and I want to make sure my blood flow is awesome while I'm sleeping.  In my Pilates for Pregnancy book the whole 3rd trimester is dedicated to exercises to keep ankles and feet from swelling.  That and our nightly walks should keep me in the clear.  Last time, I swelled up right before Sonja's birth and I'd like to keep it away for as long as possible this time as well.

Oh an did you catch that?  WALKS?! We've actually been going these past two weeks.  And if we don't walk, it's only because I worked out or did yoga that day!  A huge improvement and something really important in preparing for birth.  So proud of our little family for making the effort with me.

Other noticeable differences in this pregnancy, compared to my last, are the showers.  I actually want to shower!  Last time, it was forced and I felt like I was going to pass out just being in the hot water, this time I need it.  I need to let my stomach stretch in the shower every night before lotion and oils in order to be comfortable for bed. Also, I've noticed this baby likes to spread out differently in my tummy.  S/he likes to push out on both my left and right side at the same time.  Sonja never did that.  It's not pleasant and I'm hoping that s/he is in the right position {we should know within the next few weeks, when the midwife feels for the head and such}

Week 32 has been a shopping frenzy.  I bought a bunch of stuff we needed for the house, and I'm blaming it on nesting.  I also finally created a "registry." Which is mostly just a list of the diapers I'd like to add to our collection.  With Sonja, we used cloth.  And I tried lots of brands, some organic and some not.  This time, since I've gifted most of her non-organic ones away to my new mama friends {almost everyone I know is cloth diapering! Yay, for the environment}, I'm asking friends if they're going to get us anything for our baby sprinkle {we already had a "shower" for Sonja} to get us organic diapers.  Best of all, I found a LOCAL baby boutique with tons of organic stuff and a huge range of cloth diapers.  Have you checked out Zoolikins?  Not only do they have a brick and mortar store, they have a super user friendly website!

Also, Bees!  can we just take a moment to appreciate the bees?! They've been all over me this week.  They've been my pregnancy animal this pregnancy {with Sonja it was peacocks}.  While at the park this week, one landed on my hand walked around {and tickled me} before flying away, and the same day another one tried to kiss my ear while out back with Sonja.  I guess this would be more interesting if you all knew my baby sprinkle theme and or saw the invitations I just sent out, but I'm saving that for when I share the party in a separate post.

Friday, we had an appointment with our Midwife.  She says baby is in a good position, and "big" and sturdy.  And when I asked about breech {a slight concern I have this time around} she assured me after my birth with Sonja I could handle anything.  She also mentioned that she'd like for Husband to catch the baby.  And, that, you know? she'll be there, but she's probably not going to do anything.  {Unless I need her to}.  Which is cool that she has that confidence in me.  We talked about my hopes for having a new bathtub by the time of the birth, but now it's probably not going to happen.  I didn't know if getting a play pool outside was worth it, since I'd have to heat and change the water {or someone else would}, and would I really be outside all that much?  Last time, I stayed on the toilet when labor got really intense because I was going to the bathroom every few seconds {not exaggerating!}.  She laughed at me, and reminded me I'm not the type of woman to sit still in a tub and labor for a few hours anyway {which is SO true}.  So, we're still thinking about our "plan."

I told her my plan was to have the baby fall out.  I've been trying to walk more, I went to the gym and "ran" for a few minutes and since I know I can do that now. I'm going to keep adding sprints to my treadmill routine.  And maybe I can sprint this baby out of me.  I should clarify, when I say run, I mean go fast for a little over a minute, then resume walking.  I can't really run all that long when I'm not pregnant.  So, it's exciting I can still do even just a minute at a time.  Instead of running I've always been a brisk walker at high inclines.  I've also been doing my yoga twice a week.  Which helped so much with knowing what position my body needed last time I was in labor.

I was sort of freaking out that I had 8 more weeks to go, and that I feel huge and uncomfortable.  But, as I'm starting off week 33 I am feeling a little more accepting of 8 more weeks and using this time to prep. all the food and supplies for our birth.

I'll update you all again soon & thanks for following along on my second pregnancy journey!
-Jenn

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